


A World on Fire

by hidekaneheadcanons



Series: A Hauntingly Hidekane Halloween [10]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Cannibalism, M/M, Zombie Apocalyse AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 02:27:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21245987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hidekaneheadcanons/pseuds/hidekaneheadcanons
Summary: Hide has a job interview with the Department of Agriculture and Food Acquisition. The world around him crumbles, then burns. He finds refuge with an unfairly attractive man, who promises to teach him how to survive outside the city's walls.





	1. Chapter 1

Hide had never taken a step outside the wall. He often heard stories about what the world was like before the city was rebuilt, a wall painstakingly erected around it. They spoke of monsters, humans dead - yet walking, and groups of people who would rob others and leave them dead. To Hide, having been born in the wall, these seemed to be just stories. He knew they happened, but they didn’t have the power to touch him.

It was a Monday. After one year of working at a Food Distribution Centre, Hide was applying to the Department of Agriculture and Food Acquisition, which managed the farms and fields on the outskirts of the city. He was recommended by one of his fathers, who was the on the Board of Directors. Normally, he wouldn’t be able to apply with so little experience, but Hide’s dad recommended him. 

He was waiting in a lobby, waiting for his boss to show up. He was a short man with a pale parlour and a wild look in his eyes. He immediately set Hide on edge. Nevertheless, Hide smiled pleasantly and shook his hand. After their greetings, Hide was brought into the office for his interview, although they both knew it was just for show. Hide was already hired. Immediately afterwards, Hide was given a tour of the facility, where all the food was brought in to be processed and shipped to the distribution centres. He was promised a tour of one of the farms at a later date, when they were harvesting, so he could see the process.

Nearing the end of the tour, they went to one end of the building, where there was an elevator requiring a key card to be operated.

“It’s always nice to see a fresh face,” his boss said. “Your father is right. You have a wonderful personality. You put people at ease. I think you’ll do wonderfully in this line of work.”

Hide nodded. “Thank you, I’m sure working here will be a pleasure.”

His boss gave him a thin smile. “For some, it is. Now, come. There’s one more part of this business I have yet to show you.”

They stepped out of the elevator and out onto a platform. Hide was surprised to find himself standing on top of the wall, on the edge of the city, looking into the forest beyond. He had never seen over the wall, and his eyes widened at the sight. To the east was part of the old city they hadn’t been able to claim when they built the wall. It had fallen into disrepair, the streets cracked, vegetation overgrown. He could see people shambling in the streets, rotting even as they stood. 

Hide felt his stomach roll in response. Instead of looking to the city, he looked back to the forest. He realized - with some surprise - that there were a series of gates where armed guards stood just inside. There was movement in the forest, and Hide expected to see another corpse. Instead, he saw a young woman with a child, clothes dirtied, but very much alive.

“Watch, and stay silent,” his boss ordered.

Confused, Hide obeyed. He was taught in school that no one outside the gate survived, that those in the city were the last of humanity. Why would they be lied to? He watched the scene unfold with interest. The armed guards stayed in place, eyes scanning the forest, but a well-dressed man stepped up to the inside of the gate. He looked either direction, then slid it open and beckoned the woman and child forward with a kind expression. Hide could see the man’s mouth moving as he spoke, but it was too windy at the top of the wall to make out what he was saying.

“We send out broadcasts every day inviting people to join the city. If we didn’t, they would try to get in themselves, like they have in the past. If they do that, we risk more breaches in the walls. It’s much easier to get them to come in through the front door.”

Hide breathed a sigh of relief once they made it through the gate. They were safe from the zombies. The gate closed behind them, the woman thanking the well-dressed man with tears in her eyes. The armed guards spun soundlessly and reached into their pockets. So quickly, before they could even scream, mother and child were restrained, sedatives injected with needles in their neck. The well-dressed man continued to smile.

“It’s too easy sometimes.” his boss murmured. “It will get more difficult if they scream enough to wake the dead.” He winked and laughed like he just made a joke. Like Hide’s world wasn’t falling apart around him.

Hide swallowed thickly and tried to keep his voice even. “What happens to them now?”

“They’re brought in for processing. The meat is cleaned just like for any other animal. In this world, you have to take what you can get. Thankfully, this won’t be the only part of your job. That would be horribly morbid, wouldn’t it?” Hide was given a slap on the back. “Welcome to the Department of Agriculture and Food Acquisition. Now, let’s get you trained up.”

Hide followed him numbly, wanting to do nothing else than grab him and throw him over the wall for the zombies to eat. 

“Your job, as your father recommended, was to be a greeter, much like Furuta down there. He’s one of our best.” Hide’s mind spun. His dad knew about this? Condoned and endorsed this? “You will make the rogues feel welcome and safe, and do anything to get them inside the gates. The guards will take care of everything after that. Come, I’ll show you the rest of the process.”

They headed back down the elevator, through the facility and into another section that required a key card. The mother and daughter were being carried in on stretchers, their hands and feet bound.

“We don’t have much sedatives to spare, so we use as little as possible. Sometimes they wake up, so always be on guard.” They moved them to another room, where Hide was sure they would be “prepared for processing”. 

Hide’s blood boiled. He wished he could burn down the entire building and spit on its ashes, along with everyone involved. He winced internally, knowing that included one of his fathers.

There was an explosion. It rocked the foundation under Hide’s feet, making him fall to the ground. His hissed as he scraped his elbow on the concrete, just barely managing to keep his head from cracking against it. Before he could get up, there was another, then another. There was a sequence of ground-shaking booms, strong enough Hide was sure he would get his wish, and the building would be destroyed. He covered his head with his arms and waited it out.

Once the ground stopped shaking, Hide cautiously raised his head. The second he did, everything seemed to burst into motion. There was a blaring alarm. It was something Hide learned about in school and only heard to learn how it sounded. A long, haunting siren. It signalled that the wall was breached. The dead were in the city. Everyone was supposed to stay inside and wait it out, but...

Hide snaked his arm over to where his boss was laying motionless. Unlike Hide, he had hit his head when he fell, and was unconscious. He plucked the key card off his belt and tucked it into one of his pockets.

Hide didn’t have a better chance.

People were running about. The power was out, but the emergency lights were on. There was panicked shouting. Outside, Hide could hear screams. He didn’t have a lot of time. If he wanted to get something done, he had to do it now.

In the chaos, Hide was able to slip into the room where the mother and daughter were brought. They were laying forgotten on metal tables. The mother was starting to sit up, holding a hand to her face and looking confused.

Hide rushed forward, holding a finger to his lips and wildly gesturing for her to be quiet. 

“We have to go,” he whispered urgently. “Everyone else is distracted. There’s been a wall breach. The zombies are inside.”

There was gunfire from just outside, the room where Hide had come from. It was followed by some screams. There was what sounded like snarling, and then more screams and gunfire. The mother’s eyes widened. She tried to push herself up, but her arms didn’t work properly and she fell back to the table. Hide rushed forward to help her up, but she waved him off.

“I can’t.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Please,” she begged. “Save my daughter. Her name is Hinami. She’s only 13. She has so much of her life ahead of her” she reached out and grasped Hide’s hand. “Please.”

Hide swallowed thickly and nodded. Hinami was relatively small for her age, and still out cold. Hide placed her over one of his shoulders, grunting at the weight. He wasn’t the strongest person. He didn’t know how long he would be able to carry her for, just that he had to. 

There was an electronic click and a bloodied person stumbled into the room, gun held limply at their side. Hide could just barely tell it was a guard. They were absolutely covered in blood and bite marks. The door closed behind them and they collapsed. A second later, they started thrashing and clawing at themselves.

“Go! Now.” The mother’s voice was filled with cold determination. “I won’t let them follow you.”

The guard’s eyes snapped open, now a blood red. They snarled, launching at Hide. Hide stumbles back and away, gasping. The mother pushed herself between the them, grabbing the guard and bringing them down to the ground with her.

“Go!” She screamed as the guard buried their teeth in her shoulder. 

Hide rushed past them and back out of the room. The place looked entirely different than it had before, with all the blood and bodies strewn about. Hide stayed close to the wall, crouching when he reached a body. The woman was still clutching an assault rife in one hand, a victim of friendly-fire. Her eyes stared dead at the ceiling. Hide cautiously reached down and retrieved the gun. He wouldn’t be good at firing it with one hand, but it made him feel better. He also picked a few magazines full of ammo off the woman and shoved them in his pockets. He didn’t know if he would need them later.

Hide headed right for the gate, remembering how the guards had opened it for Hinami and her mother before they sedated them. Beyond that was the forest, and for Hide, the unknown. Hide slowly moved towards it, noticing some zombies about. However, they seemed too distracted by the bodies they were already feeding on to worry about him. He creeped forward, careful not to alert them. He learned in school that they were generally attracted by fast movements and loud noises. 

Slowly and quietly was the only way Hide would survive.

Hide opened the gate, wincing as it creaked noisily. Two zombies that were feeding raised their heads. Their dead eyes stared at him. They got to their feet and sprinted for him. Hide swore and closed the gate behind him. They crashed into it, hissing and growling at him. Their teeth snapped at air, blood flying from their mouths.

Hide skittered away, heart pounding in his chest. Behind them, the city was on fire. Smoke billowed from countless buildings, secondary explosions still rumbling through the air. With all that noise, more zombies were to come. There was no going back home. Not now. 

Hide turned to the forest, hurrying away before the zombies at the gate would find another way to get to him. Hide ran as far as he could, chest burning and arms aching from carrying Hinami.

He finally slowed down when she moaned quietly, starting to wake up. Hide lowered her to the ground, listening to the forest around him. He heard nothing but the buzzing of bugs and the chirping of birds. It seemed no zombies managed to follow them. If they did, Hide was sure he would hear them crashing through the foliage.

He laid his hand over Hinami’s. How would he tell her that her mother died? Her eyes fluttered open and she looked to Hide with confusion. Hide offered her wobbly smiled, but had to look away. 

She looked around, pushing herself up on her elbows. “Mommy?” 

Hide shook his head. “I’m sorry.” He was so, so sorry. He didn’t know what else to say or do.

~<3<3<3~

They sat in silence for hours, both of them mourning in their own way. His knew they couldn’t just stay out there, that it would mean death. However, he had no idea how to survive outside the wall. He didn’t know what to do. The only thing he could do was turn to Hinami and hope that she knew something or someone who could help them.

“Is there somewhere we could go?”

Hide’s question shook her out of her stupor. She looked at the night sky, and the full moon above them. She pointed to one of the stars. “That’s north. To the east of the city, is home.” 

Hide rubbed the back of his head. “I’m not too good with directions. I don’t know what way I ran from the city.”

Hinami stared at him for a long moment, then stood. “Give me a boost. The city is easiest to see at night.”

Hide was confused, but offered her his hands to boost from. She climbed up and grabbed the first branch of a tree, swinging herself up and onto it. Hide watched with awe as she scaled the tree almost to the top and looked around.

She pointed in a direction. East, if she said the one star was to the north. “The city is that way.”

Hide winced. He ran in the wrong direction. They would have to backtrack and head around the entire city if they wanted to make it back home.

“What’s at home?” 

“Supplies. Big Brother’s place is a few days away, so we’ll need them.”

Hide followed Hinami through the forest, accepting she was the more experienced out of the two of them. Hide clutched his gun with both hands, double and triple checking the magazine. It had been a couple years since they were taught to use assault rifles, and Hide wanted to make sure everything worked alright in case he had to use it.

After a few moments of walking, Hinami paused. “This should be okay for the night.” The foliage above them was thick enough to almost form a canopy, helping protect them from the weather. The wind itself wasn’t too strong or cold, so they thankfully didn’t need to be concerned about that.

“I’ll take first watch.” Hide sat against a tree and pulled his gun into his lap. “You should get some rest.”

Hinami didn’t need to be told twice. She sat beside Hide, resting her head against his shoulder. She drifted off soon after, tears streaking down her cheeks. The poor girl no doubt missed her mother. Hide’s heart ached for her. He hoped he could at least get her to her big brother, but after that…

Hide didn’t know what he was going to do. He didn’t want to go back to the city, and at this point, he didn’t even know if it was livable anymore. As far as he knew, he was on his own. Soon to be all alone in a world he hardly knew anything of. He was terribly ill prepared.

How many years would he last? Hell, how many weeks? Days? Hours?

A zombie could come around the corner and take him by surprise at any moment. He could die at any moment. When he was behind the wall, he never appreciated his safety – the promise he would get to live tomorrow. In the city, he had no doubts of his future. But now…

Just getting to tomorrow would be a blessing.

Hide woke Hinami up after five hours. After he made sure she knew how to use the gun, he curled up, hoping to manage at least a couple hours of sleep. His dreams were haunted by snarls and the screaming of Hinami’s mother. He awoke just as the sun was rising, feeling like he got no sleep at all. His back and neck were stiff. His eyes were crusty and all dry.

“You can sleep for a few more hours,” Hinami said. “We don’t have to start moving now.”

Hide shook his head. “No, I’m fine. I can’t sleep anymore anyway. Should we start moving, or do we have to wait for it to get brighter?”

“It’s bright enough. I can see.” She handed Hide his gun and expertly moved them through the forest. She occasionally held up her hand and pointed in a direction, signalling to Hide that they were going to detour that way. It was only after searching the area carefully that he spotted the zombie, or in some cases, multiple of them. He didn’t know how Hinami spotted them so quickly, but he supposed she grew up doing this. There was a lot she knew that he didn’t.

Her steps were sure, practically soundless. In comparison, Hide felt like a giant stomping through the forest. After a short while of walking, Hinami was starting to show Hide where to step to make less noise, and how to stay light on his feet. It helped somewhat, so he believed he wouldn’t be a hopeless case. If he wanted to live, he had to learn.

After two hours of walking, they reached the city. More accurately, the ridge of a cliff nearby. But Hide could see the city. He could see where the wall was collapsed in strategic places, allowing the dead into some of the most populated places. The first were still burning, but Hide could see no other movement in the streets than the zombies shambling. There were no more explosions, no more gunfire. The world was oddly silent.

Everything Hide once knew and believed in was gone.

Hide could see the gates he ran through the day before. They were still closed, the same zombies that chased Hide were still there, staring into space and swaying back and forth. He saw some guards had joined them, bloodied and dead, but still standing. The man who was going to be his boss was there as well. The left side of his face was bloodied, a large chunk missing.

That could have been him.

Hinami tugged on Hide’s sleeve and he nodded. They needed to keep moving. There was no point wasting daylight thinking about what could have been. He had to focus on the now. Which meant getting to Hinami’s home and stocking up for the next, much longer leg of their journey.

It was mid-day when they finally came to a stop. Hinami held up a hand, then pointed with her finger. If Hide squinted and tilted his head sideways, he could see a small, slightly rundown cabin hidden among the trees. It had ivy and moss growing on the sides, effectively camouflaging it. 

“You have to step where I step, okay?” Hinami crept forward, grabbing Hide’s hand with hers, pulling him after her. She led him in a zigzag pattern, around various pitfalls with spikes at the bottom. Hide felt ill when he looked down, seeing the rotting corpses. He gagged at the smell. 

“We haven’t bothered with clean-up in a while,” Hinami said apologetically. “We didn’t think we would be coming back here.”

They thought they would be living in city, somewhere they wouldn’t have to clean away corpses just past their doorstep. Hinami stared at them for a long moment.

“Let’s grab everything and get moving.” Hide placed a hand on her shoulder. 

Hinami nodded. 

She showed Hide how to unhook the boards from the door, then let him in. “My mom kept some of my dad’s things.” She whispered and pointed to a room. She hesitated, her expression falling. “My mom had a red scarf. Do you think you could find it for me?”

Hide nodded and raised an arm in invitation. Hinami rushed forward and threw her arms around his waist. She pressed her face against his side. After a few moments she pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes. She nodded to herself and spun, heading into the room Hide assumed was hers.

Hide took that as his cue and headed into her parent’s room. He sighed to himself, casting a quick glance around. The room was filled to the brim with belongings, but they were all organized. He set his gun aside and knelt next to a broken dresser where he started his search for some clothes and the red scarf.

There was a click to Hide’s right, making him freeze. He started to turn his head, but cold metal pressed against it. Out of the corner of his eye, Hide realized it was a pistol.

“Don’t move.” A man murmured darkly. “You will answer all my questions. Or else.” He adjusted the gun against Hide’s head, his intent clear.

“Okay, let’s talk.” Hide raised his hands slowly, signalling that he wouldn’t fight. At the same time, he got his hands closer to the gun pointed at him. If it was just him, he wouldn’t fight, but Hinami was in the house too. And he promised he would save her. 

“How did you -“

While he was distracted talking, Hide took his opportunity. He ducked his head out of the way and spun, grabbing the man’s wrist and elbow, fighting for control of the gun. The gun went off, making Hide’s ears ring. The man grunted and drove his knee into Hide’s thigh. Hide gasped and tried to keep a hold on the man’s arm, but he broke free. He swung his arm back, clocking Hide in the side of the head with the pistol. Hide collapsed to the ground, holding his bleeding head and groaning. He blinked open watery eyes to look down the barrel of the gun. 

Cold grey eyes stared down at him. The man’s hand tightened around the handle, finger twitching against the trigger.

“Big Brother!”

The man spun, grip relaxing. Slowly, he lowered the gun, glancing back and forth between Hinami and Hide.

“He’s with you?” 

Behind her big brother, Hide saw Hinami nod.

The man sighed. He holstered his gun and walked over to Hide, who tried to not cringe back when gentle fingers inspected the wound on his head.

“Hinami, could you find us some bandages?” Once she was gone, Hide was given a flat look. “You could have just answered my questions, you know?”

“And how was I supposed to know you knew Hinami?” Hide hissed. “You could have been here to hurt her. I wasn’t taking that chance.”

The man regarded him for a long moment, then smiled. “You’re right. My name is Kaneki Ken.”

“You can call me Hide.”

“Hide then...” Kaneki glanced back into the hall, making sure Hinami wasn’t coming back yet.

“What about Ryouko?”

“Her mother?”

Kaneki nodded.

Hide shook his head. “She didn’t make it.”

Kaneki’s eyes squeezed shut and he rubbed a hand over his face. “Damn it. What the hell happened?”

Hide opened his mouth to explain, but Hinami came running in with the bandages. She handed them to Kaneki, then peered around him at Hide, wringing her hands with worry.

“Will he be okay?”

Kaneki nodded. “Don’t worry. Go finish packing. We don’t know who or what heard that gunshot. We should hurry.”

Once she left again, Kaneki sighed and shook his head. “You can explain later. Right now, we should bandage you up and get out of here.”

He used a small amount of disinfectant to clean the wound, then covered it with gauze, saying it wasn’t bad enough to need stitches. He secured the gauze with some bandages, then patted Hide’s shoulder to let him know he was good to go. Hide cautiously stood, glad his head wasn’t spinning. His thigh ached from Kaneki’s knee and his ribs smarted from his fall, but overall, he was feeling okay.

“I’ll help you pack a few things. I know where stuff is in here.” Kaneki grabbed a dark backpack from behind some piles. He packed some long pants, shirts and two thick jackets. He added some socks to the top of the bag, leaving room for a few more things.

“Hinami wanted to find her mom‘s red scarf.” Hide said.

Kaneki cast a quick glance around the room, then pulled one out from a torn box. He kept the scarf on him and handed Hide the bag. Hide obediently shouldered it, clasping the buckle on his chest to hold it tight. He picked up his gun and slung it over his shoulder.

“We need to grab some food and water. There should be some stores left here.” Hide followed Kaneki to the kitchen, where he lifted a rug and opened a trap door, revealing a small cellar. The wooden stairs creaked as stepped down, Hide crouching at the top. When he came back up with his arms full, Hide turned to allow him to put the goods in his pack. 

Kaneki retrieved his pack from by the door, Hide feeling embarrassed he didn’t notice it when they entered the house. He also added water and food to his own back. (Hide believed it was some dried meat and fruit).

“Hinami, you ready?” 

She came running out of her room, smiling a little. Her mood considerably brightened since Kaneki joined them. She turned, and Kaneki added supplies to her pack. He took special care folding the scarf and putting it away as well.

“We should be ready to head out. I think I heard some movement outside, so let’s proceed cautiously.” He pulled out a machete and turned to Hide. “Do you know how to use one of these?”

Hide shook his head. He patted his gun. “Just this.”

Kaneki frowned at him. “We’ll try to refrain from firing for now. We don’t need to draw any more to us.” Kaneki handed Hide his pack. “Hang onto this for now. Stay low and let me go ahead. Follow my lead and be ready to run if we have to.”

He cracked open the door, looking grim. He creeped out, Hinami following right behind him and Hide bringing up the rear. Hide’s stomach twisted at the sight outside. There had to be at least a dozen zombies. They were wandering around, twitching and snarling, heads turning back and forth. They were looking for them, Hide realized. They were blocking the only exit, five of them having made it down the zigzagged path and past the pits. There were more snarls from down in the pits, letting Hide know that far more than a dozen had come, most of them having fallen and been impaled. 

Kaneki pulled out a second machete, and gestured for Hide and Hinami to stay in place. He crept behind the one closest to them. In one smooth movement, he swung the machete and it cut through the zombie’s flesh with ease. The zombie’s head rolled to the ground, mouth still moving, teeth still clacking together. The next one had noticed the movement. It swung its head to look at Kaneki, but before it could even make a noise in response, Kaneki already made his move. Its head hit the ground too.

This didn’t go unnoticed by the other zombies. One by one, they turned to face them. The closest ones started running frantically, chomping their teeth in anticipation. Kaneki charged to meet them without so much as a moment of hesitation. He slashed at the first one’s head, but it was moving too erratically. Kaneki’s machete caught in its shoulder and got stuck there. Kaneki released it as the zombie stumbled back and fell, off balance. A second one charged at Kaneki and he kicked it away, then ducked low as the third one made a grab for him, using his second machete to take it out at the knee. As it fell, he was on it, raising his machete and driving it right down into its skull. 

The zombies on the other side of the pitfall rushed forward, not knowing they were running to their demise. They fell one by one, making horrible thuds as they landed. 

The second zombie was back on Kaneki, reaching for him while he was still crouched over the other corpse. Kaneki rolled out of the way, once again kicking it away. In one smooth movement he stood, put his foot on the face of the zombie he just felled, and wrenched his machete out of its head.

The first zombie had gotten back on its feet by then, Kaneki’s machete still in its shoulder. Both it and the second zombie rushed at Kaneki from opposite sides. Kaneki waited until they were almost upon him, then dove out of the way. They collided together, the first zombie too excited at the prospect of taking a chunk out of Kaneki, and biting into the second zombie’s neck instead. Kaneki descended into them, machete raised.

A couple seconds later there were only corpses and the snarls and wails from the zombies in the pitfalls.

Kaneki sheathed both machetes, turned towards them and beckoned them forward. Awed, Hide followed without a word. Kaneki took them out with such ease. He wasn’t even breathing hard. Hinami didn’t seem surprised, and simply ran up and hugged him. 

She walked side by side with him for a while, leaving Hide to trail behind.

~<3<3<3~

Night came quickly. Hide wanted nothing to do but fall, with what little sleep he got the previous night, plus how physically and emotionally draining the past day and a half had been. His thigh, ribs and head were hurting more than ever, aching with every step. Finally, Kaneki stopped and opened his pack, pulling out some rope.

“Bundle up for the night. We’re sleeping in the trees. Hide, I’ll show you how to tie the knots.” He gave Hinami a length of rope and she got to work immediately. She layered up, and after a boost from Kaneki, climbed in a tree and went about securing herself for the night.

Hide swallowed thickly. He wasn’t the biggest fan of heights, but it was safer than sleeping on the ground. He memorized the knot Kaneki showed him, then practiced it a few times, Kaneki correcting him until he got it perfectly. Hide didn’t want to wake up in the middle of the night because he was falling out of a tree. Once Kaneki deemed Hide good enough, Kaneki helped him into a tree, Hide’s body aching too much for him to do it himself. 

By the time Hide was sitting on a branch, way too high up for his liking, Hinami was already sound asleep. Kaneki was sitting on another nearby. He was watching Hinami with a sad expression.

“Do you mind telling me what happened now?”

Hide licked his lips, unsure how to start. How did he tell Kaneki the people from the city lured people there to eat them? That Hide was one of those people from the city? That the city was attacked and Hide barely made it out with Hinami?

Hide stared off at the horizon. He could see the night sky lit up red from the fires still burning. “I’m from the city,” Hide said shakily. “I’ve lived there my whole life. Yesterday, I was getting a job with the Department of Agriculture and Food Acquisition.”

Kaneki looked confused and a little impatient, but he gestured for Hide to continue. 

“There‘s a lot of ways the city gets food. But it seems, one of the less known methods is...” Hide shuddered, wrapping his arms around himself. “The city puts out broadcasts and invites people to the city, right?”

Kaneki’s eyes narrowed. “They do. But judging by what you’re saying, they’re not given the life they’re promised, are they?”

“No.” A hysterical laugh threatened to bubble out of Hide’s chest. “No, they don’t. They’re knocked unconscious at the gates, and from there, they are taken to be killed, cleaned and finally, eaten.”

How many times had Hide eaten a human and not known it? Those meatballs he had a couple weeks ago, or the meatloaf his dad brought home for Hide’s birthday - were those made with human meat?

Metal gleamed in the darkness. Kaneki was flipping around a small knife, glaring at Hide. “Tell me why I shouldn’t kill you right now.”

Hide’s breathing stuttered. His eyes widened and tears flooded his vision. “I didn’t know. I swear to you, I didn’t know. If I did, I would have -“ Hide didn’t know what he could have done, but good god, he would have done something. “When I found out, there was an attack on the city. There were explosions everywhere and zombies made it inside the walls. I used to distraction to make it to Hinami and Ryouko. But Ryouko was too weak to move, and I could only carry Hinami. She sacrificed herself so we could escape.” Hide squeezed his eyes shut, wondering if Kaneki would come over and slit his throat like he clearly wanted to.

There was a short sigh. Hide opened his eyes to see Kaneki sliding his knife back into his pocket. “You don’t tell anyone else what you just told me. Lots of people have lost people to the city, if what you say is true. And they may not be as forgiving as me. You saved someone dear to me, so I will pay you back for that.”

Hide breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced up at Kaneki with hope. “What do you mean by that?”

“You need a place to stay, don’t you? I can offer that. We have a small community to the east. You could make a place there for yourself. I’ll teach you what you need to know how to survive and contribute to the community.”

Hide’s eyes widened. He wasn’t expecting all that. For Kaneki to help him so much…

“If that’s what you want?” Kaneki started trying his rope to his tree, around the branch and trunk. “If you don’t...”

“I do.” It would be idiotic of him to not take Kaneki’s help. “I can’t thank you enough. I’ll do my very best. I promise.”

Kaneki smiled, eyes crinkling. “I’m sure you will. You caught onto what I taught you today fairly quickly, and you’re not afraid to ask questions. You promised to do your best, so I’ll promise to do my best teaching you.”

“You’ll be teaching me?” Hide was surprised. He thought Kaneki would pass him off to someone else. Kaneki was so skilled. Was someone like Hide even worth his time?

“Of course. You risked your life for Hinami, more than once. I trust that with the skills I give you, you will continue to protect others. So I’ll make sure you’re good. I’m not going to lie, it’s going to be rough. You sure you want to accept?”

Hide nodded, wiping his tears from earlier with the back of his hands.

Hide’s branch creaked as Kaneki tested its weight, then seated himself down on it beside Hide. He pressed his shoulder against Hide’s. Hide shook, squeezing his eyes shut. He had to stay silent. He could cry, but he couldn’t make a sound. He couldn’t alert the zombies to their location, or wake Hinami.

Kaneki hung an arm over his shoulders, giving him a squeeze. Hide accepted the comfort and the hug, turning his face against Kaneki’s shoulder.

“You’ve done well.” Kaneki whispered. “I know you’ve lost a lot. Your entire life and the people you cared about. But you fought and you survived. It may be difficult to adjust, but I’ll be here if you need to talk. About anything.”

“Thank you.” Hide shifted away, offering Kaneki a wobbly smile.

Kaneki returned it. “Now try to get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us.” Kaneki pulled back, pausing to brush his fingers against the bandages around Hide’s head. 

Kaneki returned to his own branch and tied his rope around himself. Hide laid down, hoping sleep would take him. Hide was used to temperature-controlled houses, comfortable beds and thick blankets. It was freezing outside in only a few layers of clothes, bark cutting into his back and rope into his sides. But exhaustion eventually took him and he slept through the night without waking.

~<3<3<3~

Kaneki shook Hide awake as the sun was rising. Hide wordlessly started untying his rope with numb fingers. They packed up after having a quick breakfast and headed out. 

The journey took two days. With Kaneki, the travel was relatively uneventful. He was even better at spotting zombies than Hinami, and they successfully moved around them. And when they couldn’t avoid them, Kaneki took them down with ease and grace. Hide wondered if he would ever be even half as good as Kaneki.

The sun already set when they were traveling the last couple of kilometres of their journey. Hinami and Hide kept close to Kaneki, trusting him to lead the way. Even in the dark, Hide could see when they got to the community. 

There was a wall, not as high or made with as good material as the city’s had been, but a wall none the less. There were wood spikes along the outside, some still covered in blood and guts, but no fresh zombies were to be seen or heard. Much like at Hinami’s home, there were trenches dig out with spikes at the bottom. They walked along the zigzagged path leading to the front gates. They opened when they approached.

They stepped inside and Kaneki turned to them with a smile. “Welcome home.”

There were numerous buildings, all with their windows boarded up and with their own fortifications. A couple people we still milling about, not including the guards posted around the walls, eyes scanning the darkness. Hide noted they carried bows and arrows instead of guns. Each of them carried some type of bladed weapon on their hips. There were also spears stacked on weapons racks in various locations along the walls.

“Let’s settle for the night. Hinami, do you want to stay with Hide and I, or do you want to see Touka?”

Hinami’s eyes brightened at the mention of Touka. Kaneki huffed a laugh at her expression and waved her off. “Go on. She’s not on guard duty tonight, and I’m sure she’s still awake. She’ll be happy to see you.”

Hinami ran off, leaving Hide alone with Kaneki.

“As for you,” Hide raised his eyebrows at Kaneki’s pensive expression. “We should get you looked at. I want to make sure your wound is healing well.” 

“It doesn’t hurt too bad anymore.” It ached only a little, usually only when Hide thought about it. He could ignore it most of the time.

“I still want to get it looked at. We don’t want it to get infected. Come on.” He took Hide by the elbow, pulling him along. 

Hide wrinkled his nose. He didn’t really like going to the doctor. He remembered when he was a kid and he cut his leg open on a piece of jagged metal. He was terrified of the needles the doctor used to freeze the area so it could be stitched up. Even sugary candies, his favourite teddy bear, and his dad holding him hadn’t been enough to stop his hysterical crying. He still shuddered at the thought of having needles piece his skin, and the thought of going to the doctor.

Hide dug his heels in. “Surely, it’s not necessary.”

Kaneki turned and narrowed his eyes at Hide’s sheepish expression. “It really is. It’s best you get used to getting checked out by our medic. You’ll be seeing him a lot once we’re training. Come on.” Kaneki slid his hand into Hide’s, offering him a comforting squeeze. “Consider this your first lesson: Your body is your best tool of survival. Take care of it.”

Hide frowned, but let Kaneki drag him across town. There was a small building, painted a bright red to make it easily visible. Kaneki knocked on the front door, and after a few seconds of there not being an answer, he knocked again.

The door wrenched open. “Fucking shit. Could you give me a second to get dressed, you ass?”

Kaneki just smiled. “I brought you a patient.”

“Is he dying? If not, I think it can wait for morning.” The man pushed an old pair of glasses up his nose. “I can’t get a minute to myself around here, I swear.”

“It’ll only take a couple minutes. Besides, it’s kind of my fault, so I want to make sure he’s okay.”

“What did you do this time?” The man glanced around Kaneki to Hide, who straightened. His eyes went to the bandage around Hide’s head, then he sighed in defeat. “Fine, but you owe me.”

“I always do.” Kaneki turned to Hide. “This is Nishiki. He’s a good friend of mine. He’ll take care of you.”

Hide tried to not let his nervousness show as Nishiki glared at him. Nishiki lead them to a back room, which was kept impeccably clean. He had Hide put his gun aside and sit on the table, while Kaneki settled in the corner of the room.

“Have you had any headaches? Dizziness? Nausea? Confusion?” Nishiki fired off questions, Hide hurrying to answer each one of them. He wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. While Nishiki was asking questions, he shined a bright light in Hide’s eyes, making him wrinkle his nose and try not to squint. 

He asked a few more questions, made Hide perform a few coordination and balance tests, and deemed him free of a concussion. 

Next he unwrapped the bandage on Hide’s head far gentler than Hide was expecting. He prodded the wound for a little, humming. “What was this from, again?”

“My gun.” Kaneki answered for him. “He tried to disarm me.”

“And knowing you, you roughed him up a little more than just a knock to the head.” Nishiki’s hands trailed over Hide’s chest and ribs, making him flinch when he touched a tender spot. “Shirt off.”

Hide grumbled, but obeyed. He crossed his arms, shivering in the cold. Nishiki’s fingers pressed against his ribs, Hide fighting not pull away from the pain.

“Nothing is broken, thankfully. Just bruised. And this was from...?”

“I think I landed on a few things when I fell.” Hide shrugged. 

“Anything else I should know about?”

“My leg is bruised too, but that’s it.”

“When do you think I’d be able to start training him?” Kaneki interjected. 

Nishiki groaned. “God, you love to give me work, don’t you?” He tapped his chin. “Give him a couple days, I want to make sure he has no lasting effects from the head wound. As for the bruises, cover them with padding and try to not let them be hit. A couple weeks and they should be good. Just let me put some ointment on your head wound and cover it. Then you can go.”

Hide nodded and let Nishiki finish his work. He didn’t like the prospect of having to keep getting medical attention, but he supposed that was the price he paid. Hide was relieved when he and Kaneki finally stepped outside, Hide once again bundled up, although he still had a chill from sitting on the table.

They went to Kaneki’s home, which was small and made of wood. Long ago, it looked like it had been painted white, but it had faded to grey with time. The front door stuck when Kaneki tried to push it open. Once they were inside, Kaneki secured it with numerous thick planks. Hide stood in the darkness, hardly able to see anything but vague outlines. Kaneki took his hand again.

“This way. Watch your step.” Hide stumbled a few times, but finally, they reached a small room. “There’s a spare mattress in the corner directly to your right. And some blankets folded at the base of it.”

Hide knelt until he felt it. Compared to the tree he slept in; it was heaven. He put his gun down to the side. Once he grabbed the blankets, he collapsed, groaning. 

A bed. A really bed never felt so nice. And oh god - was that a pillow? Hide buried his face into it, not minding that it smelt a little musty. He was out within seconds.

~<3<3<3~

When Hide awoke, he expected to find the bright blue walls and white ceiling of his old room. Sunlight would stream through the window, warming his skin. His soft blue blankets would be wrapped around him, coaxing him to stay in bed a while longer.

Instead, Hide woke up to a wooden ceiling and faded walls. There was hardly any sun coming in through the window. The blankets over him were brown and full of holes, barely warm enough to chase away the morning chill.

Despite sleeping on the much softer mattress for the night, he was even stiffer than he was the day before. His ribs and leg ached terribly, along with the wound on his head.

He groaned and curled into himself. He pulled the blankets over his head, and hid from the world. There was the padding of feet against the floor, then a hand gently shaking his shoulder.

“I know you’re awake. You’ll feel better if you move a bit. Come on. There’s breakfast.”

Hide’s stomach rumbled at that. He reluctantly pushed down his blankets and stared at Kaneki’s outstretched hand. After a moment he took it, letting Kaneki painfully pull him to his feet. Now that it was daytime, Hide could see a little better.

Kaneki’s home was crammed with items, much like Hinami’s home had been. He had a number of books lining the walls, and numerous trinkets. Different weapons were on display, all very well taken care of. Their metal was oiled and shiny, their edges sharp.

Kaneki had a small kitchen. Pots and pans lined the walls, all polished and rust-free. There were a couple pots sitting on the stove. Hide smelled something deliciously salty. Hide sat down at a wooden table on a chair with a worn cushion. Kaneki pushed two bowls in front of him. One was filled with soup, and the other with rice.

After two days of dried rations, it tasted better than anything he ever had before. The rice had a different texture than what they had in the city, but it was strangely good. Kaneki mixed some spices in that gave it just enough flavour. The soup was salty and warmed him up on the inside. There was some type of meat in it, as well as some onion and something green. Hide didn’t really care what it was. It was so delicious.

Kaneki leaned his head into his palm as he ate, gaze distant. “Touka dropped by this morning,” he murmured.

Hide paused and put his spoon down. “That was who Hinami stayed with last night?”

Kaneki hummed. “She’s not doing too well. I’m surprised she held it together so well on the way back home. We train everyone to compartmentalize, but…” Kaneki hung his head. “I’m wondering if she’s doing worse now because of that.”

Hide reached over to hold Kaneki’s hand. “Either way, regardless of whether or not that’s true, she’s going to have a difficult time. She just lost her mother. All we can do is be there for her now, right?”

Kaneki sighed. “I suppose.” He began eating again, still slowly. “We’re going to pick out a bladed weapon for you today.”

Hide raised his eyebrows. “Is there something you would recommend?”

Kaneki sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. He tapped his fingers against his elbow, frowning at the ceiling. “When we fought briefly, you were quick, but not very strong. I think you would do best with a two-handed slashing weapon, like a katana. But we’ll see which feels the best to you. Remember you don’t have to stick with it once you pick one. You may come to like a different style or weapon the more we train. On top of that, I’ll also be teaching you how to use the standard spear, and the bow and arrow. That gun you have is good in emergency situations, but its ammo is very limited, and can draw more zombies to us with the noise it makes. We try to avoid using them, especially in the compound. Finish eating, then we’ll go pick a weapon out for you.”

Hide didn’t have to be told twice. He ate quickly, his feet bouncing under the table as he waited for Kaneki to finish as well. Once the dishes were washed, dried and put away, Kaneki took Hide back to the living room, gesturing to all the weapons he had on display. “Go ahead.”

“You want me to choose one of these?” Hide glanced around again at Kaneki’s collection of weapons. 

Kaneki shrugged. “I’m not using them. They would do better for you. See anything you like?”

There were more machetes, though they were a little smaller than the ones Kaneki was currently using. Hide wondered if Kaneki used them in his youth. He quickly dismissed using them. He didn’t think he would have the strength to swing them, let alone swing them with enough force to behead a zombie. There were also a few short swords, but Hide didn’t also didn’t like the idea of such a short weapon. The longer swords, like the katana Kaneki had recommended, still didn’t feel right. His gaze settled on a single scabbard, made of what looked like snake-skin. Hide pulled it off the rack, pulling the sword - no, swords - from the single sheath. 

“Double Jian. It’s a Chinese sword. Versatile, and small enough to still be agile. It’s a good pick. See how it feels in your hand.”

Hide set the sheath carefully aside and took a blade in each hand. He held them up, testing their weight, then gave one an unpracticed swing. 

Kaneki chuckled. “We’ll work on that. Here, hold it more like this.” Kaneki’s hand folded over Hide’s, adjusting it.

Kaneki showed Hide a few ways to use the weapon, Hide‘s arms burning after only twenty minutes. It was only the very barest of basics, but Hide felt his head spinning with all the new information. Kaneki only deemed it break time when Hide could no longer hold his arms up. 

Hide groaned as he put the weapons away and tried to rub some of the pain out of his muscles. Kaneki brought him a much-needed snack, which Hide didn’t even know he needed until he shoved half of it in his mouth.

“It’ll get easier once you build your strength up. In a couple days, we’ll switch to light sparring, once Nishiki says you’re good to go. After that... well. Things will be a little different.

That made Hide nervous, but he didn’t dare voice this. “Are we working more with the swords today?”

Kaneki shook his head. “No, you don’t want to over-train. Give yourself some time to recover. I was going to visit Hinami this afternoon and see if I can coax her out of her room. You should take a walk around town and familiarize yourself with it. You never know when you might have to escape.” 

Hide nodded. “Guess I’ll take a walk then. Anything else I should know?”

Kaneki hummed. “You should introduce yourself to the guards. You may be working with them in the future. Let them know you’re my apprentice and they may be willing to show you a few tips and tricks.”

Kaneki left a little while later, and Hide soon after. The town was foreign to him, with its gravel roads, so much unlike the pavement in the city. The buildings were more rundown, but also had more personality, coloured bright and decorated with various trinkets.

The community was relatively small. It took less than fifteen minutes to walk across in its entirety, and most of it was farmland. The houses themselves were rather small and tight-packed. There certainly weren’t hundreds of people living there, not like there used to be in the city.

Hide sized up each house, considering which one would be safest if zombies got in. There were a couple of two-story ones. If you destroyed the stairs, you would be relatively safe. You could try to fight them off or wait for help to come. He buried the thought that maybe no help would - there would be too many zombies - you would run out of weapons - how long would it take for the zombies to climb up? - how long would it take for someone to starve or thirst to death up there?

He shook the thoughts from his head. The second-stories were the best option. And most of them were already barricaded. He would be able to survive the longest in one of them.

There other option was running, much like Hide had from the city. But what were the chances Hide would find a settlement a third time? And who said they would be friendly?”

Hide rubbed his hands over his face in frustration. Was this what everyone else thought about, all the time? About how their life was always at a dagger’s point? One moment everything could be well and good, and the next in shambles.

Hide approached the wall nervously. Sure, Kaneki said he could ask the guards questions and learn a couple things, but he didn’t want to bother them either. He paused at the ladder heading up to the wall, fiddling with his fingers.

A man with a strange beard poked his head over the edge. “Hey, you came in with Kaneki yesterday night, didn’t you?”

“I did.” Hide shuffled his feet. “He’s going to train me. He said I should come and learn a couple tricks?”

The man grinned and waved him up. Hide grabbed the ladder and tested his weight on it, then headed up. His arms were still sore, so they were burning by the time he reached the top. He shook them out, making a face. 

“Kaneki already worked with you today, huh? I train with him sometimes. He really makes you put an effort in.” 

Hide gulped. Seeing how big and muscular this guy was made him nervous. If Kaneki could put him through some hoops, then what the hell was going to happen to Hide?

The man scanned the forest, his eyes narrowed. “I’m Banjou. I joined this place about two years ago. I was originally from a different community, but thankfully Kaneki allowed me to join him here, despite everything.” 

Hide frowned, but didn’t ask what Banjou meant by that. “I’m Hide.” He didn’t want to divulge anything else or tell any lies that could come back to bite him. He should have made up a fake story and discussed it with Kaneki, so they would be on the same page. Thankfully, Banjou didn’t ask for any more information. 

“It’s nice to meet you. Do you have any questions?” The man gestured towards the forest. 

Hide frowned. “How do you notice there are zombies around? Kaneki and Hinami seemed very good at it when we were traveling.” Hide rubbed the back of his head. “I’d like to know how, so I won’t be useless next time.”

Banjou nodded. Hide felt like it was one of the more basic skills for him to learn, but Banjou didn’t make fun of him for not knowing how to do it.

“You listen to the animals.” Banjou said softly. “Everything from the birds to the bugs. They fall silent or flee when there’s a zombie nearby. If you listen for silence, or watch where the birds refuse to fly, you’ll know where there’s zombies. Take a look and listen. Tell me where they think there might be some.”

Hide stepped up so he was side by side with Banjou and gazed out into the forest. He could hear the bugs chirping all around him. In the sky, he watched a flock of birds heading towards where the city was. Hide could still see the smoke on the horizon. He wondered if the fire was still burning... the birds suddenly turned course and veered to the side, their wings flapping frantically. Hide pointed in their direction and Banjou nodded his approval. 

“If you’re up here all day, you can get a pretty good idea of where numerous hordes are. At the end of our shift we report back and the location of the zombies are mapped. At the beginning of the shift we view the map for an idea of the areas we have to keep an eye on. If the zombies get too close to the compound, we send out a team to eliminate them. Although, we still get a few who come to the gates. It’s impossible to catch them all. That’s why we have the spikes and the pits. It makes it easier to take care of any stragglers.”

Hide nodded. “Do you mind if I stay up here with you to watch?” At Banjou's nod, he settled down, and spent the afternoon there. He looked, listened, and _learned. _


	2. Chapter 2

The next couple days continued much the same. Hide would spend the morning with Kaneki, learning how to properly hold and swing his swords, then how to properly stand and move with them. In the afternoons, Hide would join Banjou for his shift, watching for the zombies around the community. Hide wasn’t as good as Banjou was, but he was slowly getting better.

After a week of their initial training, Kaneki decided to progress Hide to some light sparing. When he said ‘light’, Hide wasn’t exactly expecting to be knocked on his ass every two minutes. He had his bruises padded, but he was sure his body was going to be a whole motley of them by the end of the day. Kaneki certainly wasn’t going easy on him. Or, maybe he was and Hide was just that bad.

Hide took Kaneki’s hand, offered to him yet again after another particularly hard tumble. He groaned as he stood, putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. He picked up his swords – wooden ones for practice – and turned to face Kaneki again.

He barely managed to bring his swords up to block the strike at his face. His arms shook from the effort. He couldn’t react in time to block or evade Kaneki’s foot-sweep, which left him on the ground again. Kaneki was close enough to him, so he tried to take out his legs as well, earning a grin from Kaneki as he managed to hook a foot around his leg.

Kaneki fell, but controlled where he going, dropping to his knees on either side of Hide and bring his wooden machete to his throat. Hide raised one of his swords, pointing it at Kaneki’s abdomen.

“Good,” Kaneki murmured, voice low. The day was hot, making his hair stick to his face with sweat. His shirt was also damp, clinging to his muscles. And there he was, knelt over Hide in all his glory.

Hide flushed and tried to not let his mind go straight to the gutter. Thankfully, he got off of Hide rather quickly, leaving Hide staring at the sky, breathing hard. After a few moments, he sat up. Kaneki was turned to the side, and _really_? He just had to be stretching like that? Hips pressed forwards and arms up, revealing a little sliver of his stomach? Hide found it a little more attractive than he probably should have, especially with his head tilted back and with his serene expression. He cracked open his eyes and glanced in Hide’s direction, a shy little smile on his face, and – _goddammit._

He knew exactly how gorgeous Hide found him, that asshole.

Hide grumbled to himself and adverted his gaze, starting his own stretches. He definitely didn’t look as good as Kaneki when he did them. But still, he needed to do them, no matter how foolish he felt he looked with his inflexibility.

Days of training quickly turned to weeks. Kaneki trained Hide with the spears, and bow and arrows, in addition to his sword. Once he was deemed ‘good enough’ he was officially put onto the guard rotation, taking watch on the wall for eight hours after training with Kaneki for four in the morning.

During their practices, Kaneki continued being unfairly attractive. Hide was surprised he managed to learn anything at all, but Kaneki was such a good teacher, he supposed that was impossible. As good as he was, Kaneki was also hard, leaving Hide exhausted and with countless bruises after each lesson.

By the time the day was over, Hide was almost too tired to stand on his feet. He would collapse in bed at night and wake up the next morning to get ready to train with Kaneki again. The days were long, but Hide enjoyed them. He liked to be doing something, rather than nothing. It kept his mind occupied, and didn’t let it wander.

Standing on top of the wall was peaceful in some ways. He knew where the zombies were, and that if they played their cards right, they didn’t pose too much of a danger. The community had experience in handling them. 

So he was surprised, when he caught a glint of metal in the foliage. It was incredibly hard to notice, and Hide thought he imagined it the first time, but he didn’t. There was something out there. The other guard a few hundred meters down the wall from him didn’t seem to notice, his head turning back and forth as he gazed out into the distance. 

There was a split second, when everything seemed to freeze. Hide heard a whizzing sound. Then the guard had an arrow in his chest and he was tumbling over the wall. Hide threw himself to the ground just in time for the one meant for him to sail above him. He cursed.

He reached for the torch to light the signal fire near him - a wire encased pile of flammables with chemicals to turn the fire green. His hand clasped around it just as he felt pain in his upper arm, an arrow slicing through his skin. He hissed as the arrow thunked into the wood behind him, but managed to keep a hold on the torch. He whipped around before the enemy could get another shot off and plunged the torch into the signal fire, igniting it. 

A harsh kick caught him in the side and he went tumbling. He rolled with it like Kaneki taught him and somehow managed to get to his feet and face his opponent. He drew his swords. 

His opponent was dressed in dark clothing and had a hood obscuring their face. There was another one, the accomplice with the bow, half-way up scaling the wall. They glanced at each other, then at the community. 

“Retreat,” the one on the wall hissed, already climbing back down. “The fire is lit.”

Hide’s opponent nodded and started to back away, but Hide charged at him. An arrow lodged itself in the ground at his feet, forcing him to shift back. In that moment’s hesitation, the two off them were escaping.

A few guards ran up. Someone came beside Hide, taking him by the arm. An archer took aim, but their arrow never flew. There wasn’t a clear shot. Hide felt numb. Someone was heading over to the guard that was shot. They took their pulse, then shook their head. 

“Hide!” There was a shout, then everything was rushing back, leaving Hide gasping for air. Kaneki was there, his face drawn with worry. His hands fumbled over Hide’s body, checking him for injuries. He paused when saw his arm, but Hide brushed his concern off.

“I’m fine.” Hide kept repeating those words, staring at the dead guard. Why did he have to die? Why didn’t Hide react faster? Do something to save him?

Kaneki fastened some cloth over his wound and took him by the shoulders. They were halfway to Nishiki’s before Hide even realized where they were going. He looked at Kaneki with betrayal, but was glared at in response.

“That arrow could have been poisoned. And it needs stitches anyway. You’re not wriggling out of getting medical attention today.” Kaneki paused, squeezing his eyes shut. When he opened them, he had schooled his expression. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t... I know this is hard for you and that tonight was hard for you, but I’m worried. So, please?”

Hide hesitated, then nodded. But he slid his hand into Kaneki’s, seeking comfort. Kaneki smiled, full of relief, and squeezed gently. 

Hide was patched up relatively quickly, even if it seemed like forever to Hide. He flinched every time a needle pierced his skin, squeezing Kaneki’s hand much too tight. And no, the wound wasn’t poisoned, despite Kaneki’s worry. Nishiki whined and lamented the entire time he worked, which strangely, made Hide feel better. The next thing Hide knew, Kaneki was pulling him back towards home, Hide’s hand still clasped tightly in his.

He all but pushed Hide into bed when they got inside, taking a seat beside him. The last thing on Hide’s mind was sleep. All he could think about was how the guard crumbled when the arrow struck him.

“You did well,” Kaneki said. He lifted Hide’s stitched arm again, examining the bandages, no matter how many times Hide told him that he was fine.

“They got away.” Hide muttered. 

“You stopped them.” Kaneki eyed him and sighed. “Based on the hoods they were wearing, I think they’re from another community, from beyond the other side of the city. Aogiri. I’ve dealt with them a couple times. They’re particularly violent and go by any means to get supplies. I suspect... they were the ones behind the destruction of the city’s wall. And I have no doubts they would do the same to us.” Kaneki put a hand on his back. “They were likely here to do some recon. You stopped them and lit the fire. You did well.” 

He just wished he could have done better. If it was Kaneki there...

Kaneki flicked his forehead, making him wince. Kaneki gave him a smile. “You need to stop overthinking it. Train. Get stronger. You can only do your best.” Kaneki poked his arm. “Try not to get injured next time, though. You make me worry too much.”

~<3<3<3~

Hide was going on his first excursion on the outside. It was a week after the incident on the wall. Hide was mostly recovered, in body and somewhat spirit - enough to continue on normally, anyway. He was back to training with Kaneki and took his regular guard shifts, watching the forest intently for flashes of metal.

It was early morning when Hide woke up to Kaneki shaking his shoulder. He blinked up at him in confusion. 

“There’s a group of zombies a kilometre or so away. They’re heading this way. We’re going to head out to get them before they reach the gates. You want to come with us?”

Hide answered by rolling out of bed and getting his swords. He dressed quickly, put on his body armour and some warm clothes. He was barely awake, still blinking sleep out of his eyes by the time him and Kaneki were out of the door. They met with another couple of people by the gates. Hide recognized Banjou, but not the short, dark haired woman who was glaring around at everything.

She had a larger than normal bow strapped to her back and a quiver filled with arrows at her hip. She also had a few daggers strapped to her thighs, but they hardly looked used. 

“This is Touka, she’s our best archer.” 

She nodded to Hide, still looking annoyed.

“She’s grumpy in the morning,” Kaneki whispered. “So she’ll be snappy. Try not to take it personally. She’s actually very kind.”

Hide hummed. “I’m Hide, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

She huffed. “Try not to get in the way.”

Hide’s smile twitched. He looked to Kaneki, who raised his eyebrows and shrugged in response.

It was the first time in weeks Hide took a step outside the wall. He was lying if he said he wasn’t a little bit afraid. No one else seemed too bothered, but Banjou noticed Hide’s distress and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“You’ll get used to it,” he said.

They walked into the forest, in the direction the zombies were expected to be. They only went half a kilometer before Kaneki went ahead to scout. Hide marvelled at how little noise he made. He was like a ghost, each footfall almost silent. He was gone for about ten minutes, deciding the route they would take. Hide didn’t know how Touka and Banjou stood and waited so calmly. Every minute he was gone, Hide’s worry increased. What if Kaneki was in trouble and needed help? Shouldn’t he at least have a partner? He fidgeted, earning a glare from Touka as she casually leaned against a tree. 

It was a relief when Kaneki came back into view and gestured for them to follow him. They travelled for another kilometre before Kaneki held up a hand to stop. Then he gestured upwards. Up they went, then.

Touka scaled her tree like it was nothing. Banjou and Kaneki followed, much slower and careful. Hide started climbing as well, surprised how easy it felt. He supposed his training and newfound muscular strength had something to do with it.

They were high enough the zombies couldn’t reach them. Hide set himself comfortably on his branch, close to the trunk. Despite how sturdy the branch felt, he was still worried about it cracking and him falling into the awaiting mouths below.

The zombies were shuffling through the forest, dried leaves and twigs crunching under their feet. There was an absence of all other sound. No crickets chirping and no birds singing. Only silence.

Touka drew her bow, an arrow notched. Everyone else followed her lead. Her arrow was the first to fly, plunging deep into the eye socket of the zombie in the lead. It crumbled, the other zombies pausing in confusion. Then they continued their walk, like nothing happened. Touka, Hide, Kaneki and Banjou picked them off, one by one. Hide was surprised how easy it was - when they weren’t chasing after you. After a minute, a dozen corpses littered the ground. But they didn’t head down, not yet. They waited a few more minutes, listening. There were no more sounds of the dead shuffling through the forest, and gradually the sounds of the birds and bugs returned. Only then, did they climb down from their trees.

“We have to make sure they’re dead,” Kaneki explained. He walked up to one, took the spear Banjou handed him, and drove the spike through its head. He handed it to Hide next. “Give it a try. Make sure you put enough force behind it.”

Hide took the weapon, stepping over one of the corpses. He stabbed down, grunting in effort. It was harder to pull the spear out of the skull, but he managed. Then he did another. And another. Kaneki followed behind him the whole time, offering advice. Hide adjusted his stance and form how he was told. 

Eventually, they came to the last zombie. It was bloodied, its blue jacket torn and covered in dirt. Hide couldn’t shake the feeling that it was familiar. 

“Hide?”

He knelt, not really thinking. He placed his hand on the zombie’s shoulder and flipped it over. His face was bitten in various places, pieces gouged out, but it was still the face of his dad. He still had his messy brown hair, and his brown eyes - which snapped open.

He roared, jaw opening as he went for Hide’s throat. He gasped and tried to pull back, but his dad caught his arms and held him in place. 

Kaneki’s machete smashed through his skull, splattering Hide’s face with blood and brain-matter. His dad fell to the side, and Hide could do nothing but sit there numbly.

He knew - he knew he was dead. But some part of him still hoped he escaped somehow. Even if he didn’t deserve it. He was still Hide’s dad, and it hurt to see his corpse. 

Touka was scolding him. She was speaking quietly, but harshly. He could hardly make out what she was saying, but it was something about Hide being stupid and reckless. 

Kaneki knelt beside Hide and put a hand on his shoulder. He looked towards Touka and Banjou. “Could you give us some space, please?”

Touka grumbled, but did as she was asked, casting one more glare in Hide’s direction. Banjou gave Hide a sympathetic look, then followed after her.

“Did you know him?” Kaneki asked. He positioned himself between Hide and his dad, so that Hide couldn’t see him.

Hide nodded, tear prickling his eyes. The numbness was leaving, an aching emptiness taking its place. “My dad.”

Kaneki took a cloth out and gently wiped the gore off Hide’s face. “Oh, Hide....” His eyebrows furrowed. “We’ll head back home and get something warm to eat. I’ll get you off guard rotation for the night, so don’t worry about anything right now, okay?”

“Okay.” Hide’s voice was small. He let Kaneki pull him up, and along through the forest, barely having the mind to remember being quiet. At least Touka wasn’t glaring at him anymore. Kaneki had leaned over and whispered something to her that made her give Hide some space. Meanwhile, Banjou walked behind them, keeping watch.

Hide was lost in his thoughts. His dad was a bad person – Hide felt very strongly about that. He raised him in a happy home, fed him, took care of him, and made sure he was loved. But under that was a festering rot. He let people be killed. He let _children_ be killed. And he let them be cut apart like animals. More than once, they would have eaten human around their dinner table, Hide being none-the-wiser. But his dad knew. His dad knew and he did nothing. And now he was dead. And he deserved it.

Hide remembered the teeth marks on his dad’s face. He was fed upon, like he ate so many innocents over the years. But was that justice? It would never undo the things he’d done. It wouldn’t bring back those lives, even if it stopped him from letting others die. But it also wouldn’t take away all the good memories Hide had of him. To him, he was a loving, doting father. It hurt more to know that he was dead than to know the truth about him.

Kaneki pulled Hide through the gates into the community, down the gravel road to his house and through the door. He sat Hide on a stool in what used to be a bathroom, and gave him instructions to stay there. Hide did, looking down at himself. Kaneki may have cleaned Hide’s face, but not the rest of him. His arms and the front of his shirt were still splattered with blood. He pulled at his blood-stained clothes with a grimace, his fingers coming away sticky.

Kaneki returned with a washing pail and a towel. He set it in front of Hide. “Come on. Let’s get those clothes off you.”

Hide obeyed mechanically and stripped down to his underwear. Kaneki took his clothes from him and set them aside carefully, as to not get blood on anything else.

“I’ll see how well I can wash them.” He dipped the cloth into the water and wrung it out. It was warm when he pressed it against Hide’s shoulder, gently rubbing off the blood against his collarbone.

Hide shook his head. “It’s okay… I can.” He didn’t want to, but he would. Kaneki was already doing so much for him, he didn’t want to burden him anymore.

“I’ll take care of it.” Kaneki said. “Just rest. When you wake up, it’ll all be done.”

Fresh tears welled in Hide’s eyes at Kaneki’s kindness. He fell silent and let Kaneki finish cleaning his arms and chest. He spent a little more time on Hide’s hair, working through the mess that knotted his curls. By the time he was done, Hide was exhausted, wanting to do nothing more than sleep. It couldn’t have been too long past noon, but everything that happened tired him out.

Kaneki guided him to bed, with another promise that all would be fine when he awoke.

He wasn’t expecting to wake up to the world burning.

~<3<3<3~

Hide was roughly shaken awake. “Hide! Get up! We have to go now.” Kaneki stood over him, decked out in all his gear, weapons strapped to him. In his hands he held some clothes and Hide’s weapons. “Hurry! _Hurry!_” He didn’t have time for Hide’s confusion. He shoved the clothes in his hands, but held onto Hide’s weapons. He strode out of the room.

Hide heard screaming outside, and some type of horn. There was a too familiar series of explosions that went off, shaking the ground. 

Hide stumbled after Kaneki, trying to put his pants on and run at the same time. By the time he got to the front door, he was almost dressed, just finishing pulling his shirt over his head. He slid on his shoes, taking the weapons Kaneki handed him and hastily strapping them on.

The interior of the house was illuminated red, like when there was a sunset, but the light was moving, flickering. When Kaneki opened the door, all Hide could see was fire and all he could smell was smoke.

“It has to be Aogiri,” Kaneki said. “They’ve launched an attack. Someone – or multiple someones – slipped past the guards and started lighting fires. By the time we noticed – it was too late. We’re doing a full evacuation. They drew zombies to the front gates, which I believe were just hit by the explosives.” Kaneki pointed in their direction. Hide saw the smoke rising from them, parts of the wall collapsed. “We have multiple other routes of evacuation – a series of tunnels with secret trapdoors. Anyone who has been a part of the community for a number of months knows where they are.” He offered Hide an apologetic look. “We can’t risk spies finding out where they are.”

Hide nodded his understanding. “Are we heading to one of the tunnels now?”

“No.” Kaneki looked back in the direction of the gates. “Everyone within half a kilometre to the gates was evacuated as soon as the zombies started gathering. We need to go with the rest of the guards, hold the line, and give the rest of the civilians a chance to escape.”

“We’ll be fighting then?” Hide’s stomach rolled.

“Yes.”

“Zombies or people?”

Kaneki hesitated. “Both, most likely.”

Hide shouldered his bow and made sure his swords were secure. “I’m ready.”

Kaneki smiled sadly. “No. No one ever is.”

They took off. The streets were strangely deserted, countless homes burning. But he noticed the burning was strategic. There were no fires where the storehouse for food was, or where they cooked and dried meat from the hunters. The area around Nishiki’s house was also untouched.

Food. Medical Supplies.

“We’re being raided?” Hide asked. It was something he only heard about in school back in the city. About how rouges used to roam the earth, killing each other for their supplies.

Kaneki grunted an affirmation. “It would seem that way. That doesn’t mean they’ll hesitate to kill you. The less competition they have, the better it is for them. Stay on your toes and be ready to fight.”

There was a snarl. Hide and Kaneki both glanced to the left, seeing a group of three zombies. They were crouched over the body of a man, tearing into his abdomen. One of the zombies had lifted its head, having noticed Hide and Kaneki’s movement. It stumbled to its feet and shot towards them.

It was much different than the zombies in the forest. Those ones were unaware, but this one had only one thing on its mind – and that was tearing a chunk out of them. It was fast. Hide barely had time to draw his sword – never mind getting it into the right position to cut its spinal cord.

Kaneki was much quicker. He spun around the zombie’s lunge and drove his machete into the back of its neck. It collapsed at Hide’s feet, leaving him awkwardly standing there with his sword drawn and his eyes wide with fright.

“Don’t just stand there.” Kaneki ordered. “There’s two more. Take the one on the left.”

The two remaining zombies hadn’t noticed them, too engaged in their meal to notice anything else. Hide and Kaneki crept behind them. At Kaneki’s signal, Hide slashed down with one of his blades into the back of the zombie’s neck.

“Where do we go next?” Hide refused to look at any of their faces – in case they were anyone else he knew.

“We’re close to Touka’s home. I want to make sure she and Hinami got out.”

The closer they got to it, the more Hide worried. There was so much smoke in the air, it was sometimes hard to tell where it was coming from. But Hide could see a thick stack of it rising from about where Touka’s home would be. Kaneki picked up his pace, clearly thinking the same thing. By the time they got there, half of the home was burnt down.

Kaneki gasped, eyes watering as he stared helplessly at the raging inferno.

Hide grasped his sleeve. The heat was so intense it was starting to burn his skin. “They may have made it out – we don’t know –“

“I know.” Kaneki ground his teeth, his shoulders shaking. “Please be okay. Please, please be okay.”

They skirted around the house, staying a safe distance from the flame. They encountered a few zombies on the way, but Kaneki dispatched them without much effort, like they weren’t even worth his attention. He didn’t bother giving orders to Hide, who did his best to watch his back and take down a couple of them himself.

“Big Brother!”

Kaneki’s head whipped around, his eyes wide. “Hinami!”

She was standing on a roof, Touka beside her with her bow drawn. She was picking off the zombies that surrounded the house. Hide was guessing they climbed up from the nearby shed for safety.

Hinami was crying, her arms wrapped around herself. Touka’s hair was stuck to her face with sweat, her quiver almost empty of arrows. There were simply too many of them. She already killed almost a dozen, but they just kept coming.

Hide drew his own bow, picking off some of the ones that were banging on the walls of the house. Kaneki charged towards the horde, cutting down anything in his way. Hide begun backing him up, taking out the zombies that were most likely to notice his advance and try to attack him. 

Finally Hide reached back to grab another arrow from his quiver and found it empty. He swore, shouldering his bow. He drew his swords, intent to help Kaneki take out the last few zombies, but the ground shook again, sending him tumbling to the ground. 

There was an inhuman screeching. Hide turned to see this... thing. Its face looked like it was covered in boils, and boils on top of boils, obscuring any features that used to be there. The boils travelled all the way down its arm and coming out of its shoulder was a writhing mass of tentacles.

“A mutation,” Kaneki gasped. 

It turned towards Hide and shrieked again, a horrible grating noise that made Hide’s head and heart pound. The writhing mass of tentacles squirmed in place, then shot towards him without warning. Hide watched in horror, on remembering his training at the last moment. He dove to the side, feeling the impact as the appendage hit the ground. 

Kaneki was there in the next moment, hacking at it with his machete. The creature roared in response. 

“Go! Take Touka and Hinami and go! I’ll hold it off here.” 

Hold it off. Not kill it. Kaneki thought he wouldn’t be able to kill it. Did he think he wouldn’t be able to survive too?

“Kaneki!”

The tentacles retreated and the creature thrashed about, stumbling on its feet. It crashed into a nearby wall. When it rose, Hide saw more tentacles exploded from its body. They were now also growing out of its other shoulder and lower back.

Kaneki faced him, expression twisted with pain. “Keep Hinami safe. Touka knows where the exit is. Follow her lead and trust her.”

“Kaneki.” Hide caught his arm. “You had better meet us there.”

“Hide...”

“Promise me.”

Kaneki glanced back towards the creature. It was making its way back to them.

“... I can’t make that promise.”

“Then promise me you’ll do you best.”

“I promise. Now go.” He pulled his arm free of Hide’s grasp. He shoved Hide out of the way of another tentacle that came racing towards them. “Go!”

Hide stumbled to his feet. He ran towards Touka and Hinami, who were making their way off the building. It looked like Touka ran out of arrows, but used her throwing knives on the last couple zombies instead. Her teeth were clenched as she pulled them free of the zombie’s skulls. She also retrieved what arrows she could, which wasn’t too many. Hinami was at her side, clutching a knife like a lifeline. Her eyes darted about, standing out against her pale face. 

“Kaneki told us to go. He said you knew where the exit was?” 

Touka glared in Kaneki’s direction. “That self-sacrificing bastard.” She glanced back at Hinami, who was looking towards the mutation with fear. “Let’s get a move on. We need more arrows. With any luck, one of the armouries with have stock.” 

They crept around buildings, taking out zombies when they could. The first armoury they stopped by - a small shack settled in the centre of some homes - was empty. Touka swore colourfully. 

“Next one. It’s closer to the exit. I want some damn arrows before we’re out in the middle of nowhere fending for ourselves.”

They rounded a few houses, getting closer and closer to the wall. There was another shack similar to one before up ahead, but the door was wide open. Inside, Hide could see a few zombies crowded in a corner. But Hide could also see a couple quivers of arrows inside, their tips glinting with promise.

The zombies were adequately distracted so... “Wait here. I’ll sneak in and grab them.” 

Touka started to argue, but Hide was already off. Once he was closer to the shed he slowed to a walk, making sure no other zombies noticed him. When he was sure he was safe, he crept to the entrance. The zombies were feasting on whomever they caught, drawn to the opposite side of the shed, where the swords were. The person was dead, but they still had a grip on the sword they fought to retrieve. 

Hide watched his step, careful to not crunch any gravel or rocks under his feet. The zombies, four of them from what Hide could see, were still occupied. 

He kept against the wall, knees bent so he was low to the ground. He gently lifted the quivers and slid them over his shoulder, keeping his eyes on the zombies the entire time. They didn’t so much as glance in his direction. Hide backed out of the shed, making sure he wasn’t being followed.

He made it back to Touka without incident, earning him a half-impressed look. “You have guts, I’ll give you that.” She took the quiver Hide offered her.

The secret exit was only a short walk from there. They ran through a farmer’s field, stopping as they got close to the wall. There was an overgrown patch of grass with some dead grass gathered in the centre. Touka kicked it out of the way, revealing a trap door. She dug her fingers under the edge, grunting in effort as she tried to lift it. Hide put his weapon aside, kneeling to help. Together they lifted the door. It creaked the whole way, hinges rusted.

“You first,” Touka said. “Make sure the entrance is clear, just in case.”

Hide nodded. He climbed down the ladder into the hole. He could barely see. The only light illuminating the place was the fire burning the community to the ground. As far as Hide could see, the tunnel was empty. There was no sound of anything in it either.

“All clear.”

Hinami came down next. Touka followed after her. Once again, Hide helped her with the door. Once it was closed, they could see nothing. It was pitch black.

“Hinami. Take one of my hands, and take one of Hide’s. “Touka whispered. “Just follow me.”

Hide clutched a sword in his free hand. He had no clue what they would run into down there. He didn’t have any idea how long they would be down there either. They moved achingly slow. They had to have been walking for five minutes before Hide felt a small breeze.

“Stop.” Touka glanced upwards. Little slivers of moonlight cut through the air above them. “I’ll head up first to check the area. Hide, help me lift this?”

Once it was done, she climbed up the ladder. She poked her head out, freezing immediately. There was the click of a bullet sliding into place in a gun.

“You’ll come out nice and slowly now,” An unfamiliar voice called. “Once you’re up, keep your hands above your head. Same with the others with you.”

“It’s just me.”

“It isn’t. I heard you speaking to someone. They had better come out before I blow your head off.”

Hide pulled Hinami away from the opening. He pushed her in the other direction, then headed back towards the ladder. “Alright, alright. I’m coming.” Hide climbed the ladder, set his weapons down, and raised his hands obediently.

The man holding the gun was dressed all in back, his hair slicked back into a ponytail. Hide hadn’t recognized his voice, but he recognized his face. The last time he saw this man he was still inside the city, having just watched the world as he knew it crumble around him.

Furuta.

He must have helped Aogiri get information about the city and how to best raze it. Why else would he still be alive and working with them? He certainly would have had some of the best and most secretive routes into the city, having been a member of the Department of Agriculture and Food Acquisition. Hide was sure the secret he became privy to wasn’t the only one they kept.

“My, my. Only two of you? This will hardly be any fun at all.” He pointed the gun back at Touka’s head.

Hide didn’t think, he just acted. He threw himself at Furuta. His shot careened to the side, missing Touka by inches. Hide and Furuta fell to the ground. Pain shot up his arm as he landed wrong on it, making him grit his teeth. Still, he tried to get control of the gun, fighting to keep Furuta from pointing back at either him or Touka. A fist connected solidly with his face. He fell to the side, losing his grip.

Furuta rolled them over, straddling Hide as he pressed the gun to his forehead. “Die.”

Touka’s foot connected with the side of his head before he could pull the trigger. Hide groaned as he tried to push himself up to help, but his arm crumbled under him, his head pounding.

There was a grunt and Touka fell back. A shot rang out. Hide cried out in desperation. But there was no blood – no bullet hole. Touka sat with wide eyes, watching as Furuta collapsed to the ground, a hole shot right between his eyes.

Kaneki stood behind them, pale, and drenched in sweat, but still alive. Hinami was next to him, a hand clenched around her knife. Kaneki lowered his gun and exhaled shakily.

Touka painfully stood and limped her way over to him. She grabbed his arms, inspecting him for injuries. Once she found none – or at least nothing significant – she reared back her foot and kicked him in the shin.

Kaneki cursed and jumped away, hopping up and down on one foot as he held onto his hurt leg. “What was that for?”

“For making us worry, you asshole!” She crossed her arms and glared into the forest.

“I saved your life!”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks and all that.” Her eyes were watering. “I’m glad you made it out alive.”

Kaneki’s expression softened. He glanced towards Hide, who was slowly standing up. His face hurt like hell, and he could already feel his eye swelling, but at least the world wasn’t spinning anymore. He walked over to Kaneki and offered him a pained smile.

Kaneki lightly cupped Hide’s cheek, but Hide couldn’t help but flinch away. “Sorry,” he murmured. He dropped his hand. “I kept my promise.”

The noise that came out of Hide was either a laugh or a sob. He threw his arms around Kaneki, holding him close. Kaneki’s wrapped his arms around him, hugging him back. “You did,” Hide murmured. He pulled back just enough so he could look in Kaneki’s eyes.

He wasn’t sure which of them leaned in first. Their lips met and all Hide felt was relief. Kaneki was here with him – alive. And while they weren’t particularly safe, it felt like they were – at least for the time being.

~<3<3<3~

The following weeks were rough. After they escaped from the community, they went back to Hinami’s small home. It wasn’t as well reinforced as the community was, but it was a safe place to stay for a while. Kaneki was working on gathering up the survivors of the Aogiri Raid, stopping by various places he knew people would go to seek refuge. Thankfully, Nishiki and Banjou were still alive, as well as many others.

Hide wasn’t at the community long enough to know most of the people they lost. Only a few of the guards he was on rotation with. Kaneki on the other hand, knew many and mourned each loss. Hide did his best to comfort him, holding him when he needed to be held, or just being there to listen. 

They weren’t going to recover the bodies - it was too risky, so they planned on building a memorial in their next community they built. The construction would begin when they found a location, and enough people to help them. Kaneki kept a book of everyone’s names, crossing them out when he found them alive. So many names remained untouched.

Kaneki and Touka left for a few weeks, heading far north to find somewhere to call home. Hide missed him dearly. With the cramped conditions in the house, him and Kaneki shared one room, while Touka and Hinami shared the other. For the first few days Hide found it difficult to sleep alone again.

Hinami was still subdued, the loss of her mother still fresh. Then there was the destruction of her new home. Hide could relate. 

They spent hours buried in books together when they weren’t foraging, hunting, setting snares, or reinforcing their defences. She was gradually starting to come out of her shell, digging colourful fabrics out of old boxes and brightening up the house with them. She was smiling more and more - little by little. 

Kaneki and Touka returned, in much better spirits than when they left. They found an old mountain town that would be relatively easy to reinforce. There was a supply of fresh water nearby and the land was good for growing crops. They had room to expand and accommodate a larger population if they needed to as well. 

They set out the following week. Hide wasn’t used to such a long journey. His feet were aching and callused by the end of it. They cleared out a small section once they made it to town, and hunkered down for the night in a two-story home. They blocked off the stairs at the top and the bottom and settled in one of the bedrooms for the night. Touka and Hinami were on one side, Hide and Kaneki on the other. 

Kaneki was propped up on an elbow. He played with a few pieces of Hide’s hair, twirling them between his fingers. After their first kiss, Kaneki became more casual with him. All the little touches made Hide positively melt. He was so happy to finally share a bed with him again, instead of sleeping up in the trees like they had for the week-long journey. 

“How are you holding up?” Hide traced the circles under Kaneki’s eyes. He wasn’t sleeping well, despite how exhausted he was.

Kaneki squeezed his eyes shut and groaned, leaning into Hide’s touch. “I… I want to kill them, for what they’ve done.” A tear trailed down his cheek. “I want to destroy their lives just like they destroyed others’. But… what can I even do? I could kill a couple, maybe? But then they definitely would come after us again. Or I could go after their entire community, like they did to us. But, I know they too have children there, they too have innocents. I could never let them get into harms way. So what do I do? What can I do? We can’t fight a war. They’ve already won.” They didn’t have the manpower or the firepower.

“We can only do our best. We can survive. That in itself is winning.” Hide pulled Kaneki into a hug and held Kaneki tight. “Other than that… I don’t know.”

“I fucking hate them.”

“I know. I do too.” They took Hide’s home from him, twice over.

They laid in silence, Kaneki’s face pressed against his neck and his fingers clenching the front of Hide’s shirt. He could feel the tension running through him, even as he soothingly rubbed his back. After a few minutes, Kaneki just seemed to collapse, entirely boneless.

“Do you think we’ll be able to make a home here?”

“I do.” Hide assured. “I like it here, and I think everyone else will too.”

“Good. I’m glad.” Kaneki exhaled shakily and shifted, looking up at Hide. “I’m really glad you’re still here.”

“I’m glad you’re here too.” Hide didn’t think he could ever forget how grim Kaneki was when he was facing down that mutation. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Kaneki hummed. “Exactly what I taught you to.” He kissed the tip of Hide’s nose. “You’ve done well. I’m proud of you.”

Hide flushed and turned his face away slightly. “Geez, don’t inflate my ego too much.”

“Sorry,” Kaneki said, even if he wasn’t. He kissed Hide once again, on the lips that time.

Hide laid awake. Gradually, Kaneki’s breathing slowed until he was finally asleep. They would rest for the night, and fight another battle tomorrow. Every single day was a fight for survival. Hide was never safe – not like he was in the city. Part of him longed for his past, but he also couldn’t give up his present. He loved Kaneki – he was finally starting to realize that.

He was a different person than he used to be – he had skills he never would have imagined learning, and an entirely different life than what used to be laid out before him. He wondered what type of person he would have become if he continued down that path, but he was glad he didn’t know.

Even if he could go back, he didn’t want to. He liked being a part of Kaneki’s group. He liked helping people, rather than being a member of a city that systematically killed outsiders. He would always choose Kaneki. Over and over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is another fic I mainly wrote on my phone during my lunch breaks. It was originally supposed to be only 4000 words at most. Whoops. Hide took over the story within the first few paragraphs. I had no control of it lol. 
> 
> Let me know if there's anything weird, I proofread this so many times and I'm still finding little errors from where my phone autocorrected things. My eyes just slide right over them. Anyone any good tips for more effective proofreading? 
> 
> I left this fic sort of open-ended. I may do a sequel at some point. I just feel like there's more to Hide's story to tell. As well, I'll be trying to work on a series of fics for Christmas. I'm going to try to do an event where I post daily like this one. Wish me luck! I already have a few ideas in mind!


End file.
